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Tony Lombardi
Real Name: Antonio G. Lombardi Nicknames: Tony Location: Westerville, Ohio Date: August 30, 1990 Case Details: At 12:45 AM on the night of August 30, 1990, Cheryl Lombardi found her twenty-two-year-old son Tony shot to death in their home in Westerville, Ohio. Although the police ruled his death a suicide, his family has found evidence that suggests that Tony was actually murdered. Tony was a fun-loving young man who was close to his family. At the time of his death, he was dating three different women. He worked the swing shift at a baby food factory. On August 29, he did not show up for work. Early the next morning, his mother found him dead. Investigators arrived at 1:15 AM and found that his car was missing from the garage; they presumed that it had been stolen by an assailant. On the bedroom floor, they found a .38 caliber semi-automatic pistol. On the bed was a single spent .38 caliber shell. In his pants pocket, they found a drunk driving citation. This led them to believe that Tony may have committed suicide over the citation. They learned that he had been arrested two days earlier for driving while intoxicated. They also learned that Columbus police had impounded his car at the time of his arrest. In addition, he faced fines and possible suspension of his driver's license. This led investigators to believe that he killed himself instead of facing legal problems. Tony's family does not believe that he committed suicide. Cheryl believes that her son was in a struggle with an unidentified assailant. His watch was broken and laying on the floor. He had an inch-and-a-half gash over his left eye. He had a broken jaw and bruises. Also, he was discovered nude; she does not believe that he would want anyone to find him nude. An autopsy determined that he had died several hours before his mother came home at midnight. She believes that the killer was still in the home when she arrived. She could tell that the light was off when she came home. She claims that forty-five minutes later, she heard a noise which led her to his body. She claims that the light was on when she found him. She believes that the killer turned on the light before he/she left. The police, however, claim that Cheryl did not tell them what she had heard that night, whether it be an environmental noise or a person leaving. His family claims that he was threatened multiple times prior to his death. They believe that one of the men that threatened him was the killer. However, the police claim that the threats were unsubstantiated. A test was done on Tony's hands to determine if he had been handling a metal object prior to his death. The tests confirmed that he had handled a metal object. However, Cheryl claims that this can be explained because he worked in a factory with metal cans and objects. His family is also suspicious about the position of Tony's body and the trajectory of the bullet. When Cheryl found him, two pillows were under his shoulders and his head was above the pillow. Investigators felt that the trajectory was consistent with a suicide. However, his parents found that the bullet hole was lower in the headboard than one would expect with his head above two pillows. Tony's family believes that bruises on his chest were consistent with someone else holding him down before his death. The police, however, are convinced that his death was a suicide. The county coroner, the Sheriff's Department, and the District Attorney agree with this ruling. His family is certain that he was murdered and will continue to press for the case to be re-opened. Suspects: An unidentified man had been threatening Tony in the weeks before his death, and his family believes that this man killed Tony. A neighbor saw the man, who was driving a white pickup truck. Tony apparently had cut the man off while driving. The man asked where he lived and he said that he lived at his home. Another man threatened Tony by leaving a message on the Lombardi's voicemail. The man said that he would shoot and kill him if he continued seeing his girlfriend. Tony told his father not to worry about the threat. Tony's friend Andy tried to mediate, but the man said he still wanted to hurt Tony. Extra Notes: This segment originally aired on the March 16, 1994 episode of Unsolved Mysteries. Results: Unsolved. Tony's father, Anthony Lombardi, died in 2012 without ever knowing the truth of his son's death. Links: * Tony Lombardi on Unsolved.com * Tony Lombardi at Find a Grave ---- Category:Ohio Category:1990 Category:Murder Category:Suspicious Deaths Category:Unsolved